I am swamped and freaked out with all the orders I have to fill... I always doubt how fast I can really fold and assemble and cut, but I know I can pull it out in the end. And really, it's rewarding when you get customers who are probably the best people on the continent (versus, say, if I sold grenades or something), you want to do it well for them.

Normally, I'd be cool with sleeping less and stuff. But I have to work at a trade show for 4 days next week and have to be on a normal sleep schedule in order to wake up for it. Also, I've been juicing everyday and have never felt healthier. Plus, I have a recital on Sunday. I have to HAVE TO do well.

I went to my voice lesson today and my teacher was just about gonna kiss my feet for singing the absolute best I've ever sung, especially after an abysmal rehearsal two weeks ago. It's been so much crazy singer shit I've been doing, like mad visualization, mental rehearsal crap, focusing, singing in front of a mirror, fixing my tongue, fixing my posture, reading books, warming up at home, diva-ing it up in the car, eating breathing this, but I swear the juicing is what did it. (But I hate to say it out loud b/c then it's not gonna work anymore.)

Which is why I'm feeling very guilty right now drinking coffee and eating a pumpkin muffin from Panera. I haven't had coffee in over a week, k? But I realize I shouldn't be drinking it now that I'm trying to sleep earlier and earlier (last night I slept at 2:15). Anyhoo, sorta decided on what's gonna be in my juice: carrot, celery, cucumber, kale, Romaine lettuce, and pear. It tastes awesome as long as you don't put too much kale in.

Last weekend we got a juicer and made juice with celery, cucumber, apples, pears, and carrots.

I was very inspired by Kris Carr, who appeared on Oprah to talk about her documentary and book. She was a 31-year-old model and actress who found out she had stage-4 cancer, as in, incurable. Instead of waiting to die, she decided to look into every kind of way to improve her health, mostly with diet, but she tried every single thing you can do. Her cancer becomes stable and she is doing well. One of the things she did was to make juice from vegetables. It's a small thing, but considering the fact that I usually only ingest coffee during the entire day before dinner, having fresh organic vegetable juice will probably make a difference for me. (Although I wonder why I don't just EAT the stuff, so I think it would make more sense to juice some worse-tasting vegetables that are even healthier, 'cause that's the whole point of drinking it right? It's not supposed to taste this good!)

Funny, I just went to her blog and the top entry is about how gross milk is. V.Li just told me the exact same thing a few days ago! OK no milk for me.

And one day, it hit me...

I'm Tiffany's bitch!

just a few examples

I hate being forced to continue patroning companies that have wronged me in the past.

1. FedEx. They charged a shipment to me instead of the recipient. I called and told them to change the charge to the recipient. The person said there is a $10 service charge for that. I was looking right at the shipment online, where it says the shipment is to be billed to the recipient. She accused me of doing the online thing wrong and said she can transfer me to IT so they can teach me how to use it. Um, I've prepared like 30 FedEx shipments online, every one was billed to recipient or 3rd party and never did it wrong, including this one. And I was staring RIGHT AT IT, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, where it says bill to recipient (followed by the recipient's FedEx number). Of course, these customer service people don't know how the online thing works so she has no idea what I was talking about anyway. This is putting me in a stabbing mood.

2. The Post Office. Even Ned Flanders hates the Post Office. But can't live without it.

3. Landlords. Well, you can't just pack up and move every time they do something assholey.

4. Comcast Cable. Yup, they have a monopoly on cable television in Illinois. Trust me when I say: they've wronged me.

been meaning to introduce to the world...

These are the best shoes ever! I bought them in March of this year and have been in love ever since. I love the short, round toe, the bow that's actually the wrong side of a piece of leather folded intricately, the distressed color, the heel, and comfort. They were on clearance!! Original price US$149. The tag said $75. I was ecstatic they came in my size. Then when the salesman rang them up, they were actually $46! I couldn't believe it, especially after I started wearing them and found them to be pretty much the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. I love these shoes, they are so perfect.

(Max Studio)

Very Victorious cacti

I can only keep cacti alive. I've had these for over two years and love how one of them is currently making a peace sign.

I also have an orchid plant but it hasn't flowered since I bought it four years ago. The leaves are nice.

Spammers, how to get me to read your emails

Dear Spammers and Scammers: You are all morons!!! If you really want someone to read and believe your sob story and millions of funds are legit, you have to write your emails according to proper conventions. Geeeezzzzzz. You give yourselves away too easily.

Why must you make up stupid names like "David John" or "John Davids"? How many people have the last name "John"? Tacking an "s" on the end of a name doesn't automatically make it a last name either. Or sometimes there's something like "Mary Goodness" or "Teresa Sincerity." Argh! Stop using fake last names that are supposed to tug at our Christian heartstrings! It just screams SCAM!

Also, seriously, no one uses the name "Mr.John Smith" or Mrs, Miss, etc in the names that show up in the Inbox. NO ONE DOES THIS except you. It doesn't make your email look more legit or more formal. And there is always a space after a freaking punctuation mark.

OK next thing, subject line. Don't use your fake name as your subject. Do not write "From Mr.John Smith" as the subject. This is redundant information, that's why no one does it! Automatic deletion!

Why one earth do you even bother sending an email that starts "Dear,"? "Dear" followed by comma, that is just not the way you write a letter. If you don't even have time to write my name, why should I believe that you really need me and only me to help transfer your billion dollars? And don't even get me started on "Dear Sir,". If you get me to take a peek into your email just to make sure it's not spam, the "Dear Sir" is a deal breaker in getting me to continue reading. I'm not a Sir. Sorry to disappoint.

Tulum

We got back from Mexico on Tuesday. It was so beyond awesome. I love Tulum. I love Mexican decor and crafts, all the Mexican people we encountered, the food, the beaches, the Mayan ruins, everything.

That Umbrella Song

I've previously blogged about my dislike for that Rihanna singer. I know, she's hecka huge now, but my husband still changes the radio channel when her songs come on, even if it's to the classical channel. That's how influential I am in his musical taste.

However, I am sometimes captivated by her. Sometimes purely by how awesomely bad she sounds. Sometimes by her bangs or hotpants. Sometimes just to ponder how appropriate the song "Shut Up and Drive" would be as a theme song for the short-lived TV series "Drive." As for the song "Umbrella"... I know it's like this summer's anthem, but I can't stand her nasally "ella ella ella eh eh eh", yet it captivates me with its awesomely bad catchiness...

I am in love with this acoustic version by Marie Digby. Anyone who can improve a Rihanna song enough for me to love it is a master.

This version by Mandy Moore is so not good in comparison. Too slow, for one.

Just finished "Prisoner of Trebekistan." It was really GOOD. I highly recommend it to anyone who's even seen "Jeopardy!" (of course, I am a huge fan). It's not what I expected at all. Great writing, funny writing, intricate writing, and it's not just about the game show, it's a poignant, heartfelt, insightful, good-humored memoir. I love this book and this guy. It will change the way you see Jeopardy! and the world.

I started to read "Seat of the Soul" and stopped after the first chapter. It was lame. Just some guy rambling on about what I can only describe as a religion he made up.

7 days 'til Mexico.

Pack rat

Just finished Cloud Atlas. Fun to read with endearing characters, I miss some of them. But overall the book is very tiring and mind-boggling. My mind needs to rest now. Going to check out Prisoner of Trebekistan tomorrow. Currently listening to the opera Manon from YouTube, it's so beautiful it hurts. Hurts, I tells ya. Hurts as much as realizing "Firefly" (the TV show) isn't real.

I am the biggest pack rat. Considering the fact that I've moved 11 times in the past 11 years, if you count each year packing up all my stuff before the summer and moving into a new dorm room in the fall. Yet, I still have "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" from 10th grade. I loved that book. That's why I still have it. It went into the boxes and came back out 10 times. More shockingly, I realized I still have a lipstick I bought in the 6th grade. It survived my cross-continental move before 10th grade, until now. It was during a time when frosted light pink lipstick was THE thing. The only place in HK I could find the "right" shade was the estee lauder counter, so I splurged, after thinking about it for a long time. Of course, it looks ridiculous by today's fashion, especially on non-white skintones. I think I finally threw it out a few weeks ago, or did I?

I have a problem. But I'm getting better. I hardly buy anything nowadays except during our quarterly shopping spree at the outlet mall 50 minutes away. And by "spree"... well, it's an overstatement. Anyway, most of my elective spending is on voice lessons and other singing-related items, such as books, CDs, pitch pipe (I've graduated from the pitch fork), etc. But I digress. I am emotionally less attached to stuff, which I think is a healthier but somehow sad, like I care less now. Bygones are bygones? The memories live in my mind and not in objects? Something like that.

As a side note, my favorite lip gloss right now (because lipstick is so eight years ago) is one that V. Li gave me about 3 years ago that's Urban Decay. Oddly, I was inspired by one of Lindsay Lohan's pre-glaze-eyed red-carpet appearances in which she has dark hair, a fabulous navy dress, and a bright but not garish pink lip. I'm not delusional, I matched it to the lipgloss from V. Li and it looks great on me!

Dean

I've been obsessively following Hurricane Dean on TV and online (lots of maps), because I, my husband, Tim, and Busta just booked a fun-filled trip to Tulum, Mexico, for mid-Sept. I don't want to seem super insensitive, but I really hope there will not be a lot of damage where we are going. They are saying Category 5. They are talking about the paths (below) with certainty. Having lived in Florida for 1.5 years, let me tell you, around northern Florida where I lived during that time, not once was the projected path or hurricane category accurate. So I am just hoping that this one will turn into something much smaller instead of their predicted 5.


As of this post, this is the projected wind damage for the area:



As you can see, Tulum is predicted to be right on the cusp between orange and yellow.

line crime!

This summer has so far been a summer of a very VERY large number of very well-reviewed movies, such as Sicko, Knocked Up, Simpsons Movie, Hairspray, Ratatouille, Rescue Dawn, and some decently reviewed ones, such as Die Hard 4, Harry Potter 5, Spider Man 3, Pirates 3, Ocean's 13 (that's a 3), Transformers. Just thought I'd point that out.

We went to see Bourne 3 today (and Simpsons). This movie is very well-reviewed. I would say that I enjoyed it most this summer. I pretty much like all the Bourne movies. I remember after seeing the second one with Tim, when we came out he said it was pretty lame, and I was like, I thought it was pretty awesome. Heeheehoohoo. That song they play right before the credits start rolling always makes me smile.

However, Bourne 3 committed a line crime in my mind (pretty slick huh) that I am so sick of. It's when there's a high-up person, usually a cop or director of a government agency, yelling orders at the people working for him/her, and he/she says "I need that information yesterday!" or "I want it on my desk fifteen minutes ago!" UGH... not only is it an impossibe demand, which just makes the person sound idiotic and tyrannical (when the character is not), but who on earth actually talks like that in real life? Not that I've ever been around a similar person or situation, but I bet they don't talk like that.

[Other than that, I also hope the line "I threw up in my mouth a little," which has come in vogue in the past few years, will die.]

Bourne was just fun spying and punching and MacGuyver-ing. My experience was further enhanced by the couple sitting behind me. The guy announced out loud every new city Bourne went to, even when it was written on the screen. I wasn't annoyed but rather amused; although I initially thought he was doing it because his companion was illiterate or something, but turns out he is just one big show-off. The woman "woo"ed after every long bit of hands-on combat, but it was funny during this really intense scene (hint, it ends in a bathroom), she would gasp and "oooh!" and "woah," which made me LOL. What was unusual was after that scene, people in the audience audibly went Oh my god. Bourne rocks.

A Few Things

1. This cool article in Time Magazine about icebergs that makes me happy. It's really short, check it out!

2. Hilary Clinton for President!

3. I got a call today, my super crappy audition resulted in a chorus position. [Makes me strongly question the quality of the chorus.] I accepted and am happy. I once swore I would never work for free unless for charity; but there's a reason artists are starving.

4. So far intrigued by Cloud Atlas, 60 pages in.

5. So far undefeated this season against my husband on the tennis court.

6. Can't type, have to either origami or brush teeth. Byes.

7. OK last thing. Steve was here last weekend and this is the message I got after we dropped him off at the airport early: "Guess what, I took an earlier flight to nyc but half way through wehad 'fuel' problems and returned to ohare. Then we had to take a newflight to JFK instead. Now I'm getting in at 2am, much later than theoriginal. Funny how things work out."

One of the best hours of my life: picnicking by the lake with my husband.

Man I love Evanston in the summer and all the naysayers are in denial.

OK now I'm gonna blog about a big pet peeve I have when watching movies! It is when the young and old versions of characters don't look anything alike! This drives me nuts!

1st case in point:

Jack's son from Will & Grace and Tobey Maguire in "Seabiscuit"

I was pretty offended that the casting people thought the audience would accept this pairing as young/old versions. And what age difference are they supposed to play? Tobey Maguire has such a baby face he looks only 5 yrs older, in which case the change in appearance would be way too great.

2nd case in point:
Edison/Andy Lau, Yue Man Lok/ Tony Leung in "Infernal Affairs"

There are some similarities, but I am against the use of different actors for full-grown adults who are supposed to have a mere 10 year age difference. I know, I know, the two younger ones were at least partially used to attract the some screaming girls into the theaters, but still.

3rd case in point:
Wentworth Miller and Anthony Hopkins in "The Human Stain"

Um. People have issues with the casting choice for this movie because this character plays a pale black person, and people think it's impossible to think of Hopkins as black. Well... I think the young/old casting choice is even harder to believe.

4th case in point:

That kid and Christian Bale in "Batman Begins"

They may have cast this kid purely because he's got that traumatized look.

EXAMPLES OF GOOD YOUNG/OLD VERSIONS:

That awesome kid and Audrey in "Amelie"

That kid and Ethan Hawke in "Great Expectations"

That kid and Matt Damon in "The Departed"

EDITED TO ADD: another pairing I think is great is that kid and Collin Farrell in "Alexander."

Gonna lie down and die a little

Short version: I totally bombed an audition and now I feel like crap.

Long version:

I know it's trivial in the "bigger scheme of things," like one simple, not very important audition's not gonna kill me or anyone else. In fact, I should probably say What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger. I shouldn't be super pissed and dwell upon it and replay it in my head 100 times. However, this is a huge deal to me. 1) I normally sing this song very well. I'm pissed that I am such a nervous wreck I can't keep it together for 10 minutes. 2) My teacher said I will do great. It's bad enough to let yourself down, but to let ur teacher down... 3) My nerves are not improving, does not bode well for anything in the future.

So anyway, I'm not over it.

I need to chill

I leed to cheew

Or heart failure is imminent

Got out of bed because officially can't sleep at 5:30AM.

A few days ago I came across the magazine that has my stuff in it in the supermarket. Here are the scans.

I ended up borrowing Cloud Atlas and returned Nausea, as it was unenjoyable.

However, I first read The Complete Professional Audition. Only half of it (the part about singing) is partially relevant for me, because half of it talks about monologues, which I also read through and found interesting.

Currently reading A Soprano on Her Head, which, in short, is about movement in music. I initially thought the writer sounded a bit too aging-hippy, but quickly found it very intersting. The class she teaches musicians is to dance to a piece of music that you have to perform, and the emotions will come out in one's music performance. To not think, just feel. Well, at least it made sense when I read it.

Got back to cross-stitching today after not being able to for about 2 weeks. Is looking good, yay!

Ninja Cat with built-in night vision